Development of Carbon Nanoencapsulates for Biomedicine

一种新发现的纳米材料，金属-碳纳米胶囊， 有相当大的潜力来改善目前基于分子的MRI对比度 增强剂。金属-碳纳米胶囊的直径为2 nm或更大 石墨碳层包裹金属或金属单晶的颗粒 卡比德斯。它们连续的石墨化碳壳有好几层厚，高度 稳定。这种外壳保护金属纳米晶体免受氧气和水的伤害，防止 金属离开包裹体，允许金属之间的磁性相互作用 和外部分子，并为化学衍生化提供了支架。这些 物理特性赋予金属碳显著的优势 纳米胶囊将产生更安全、更有效的新型磁共振成像 基于金属-碳纳米胶囊的对比度增强剂。这个 纳米胶囊将被胺化，允许增溶和偶联 纳米胶囊表面的化学反应。的松弛特性 对含有Gd的增溶纳米胶囊进行了评估，并对 将测试蛋白质的共价结合。这些技术的潜在应用 纳米胶囊造影剂包括血池、RES、癌变的成像 损伤，以及受体和基因表达的靶向成像。 建议的商业应用： 一类新型高效磁共振造影剂的研制 磁性金属-碳纳米胶囊具有更高的稳定性，更高的弛豫度， 较低的体内所需浓度和靶向特异性成像的新用途 应用程序将产生重大的商业影响。一旦完全开发，这些 临床将需要更安全、更有效的对比剂 在全国各地的核磁共振实验室和医院使用像MR这样的应用程序 血管造影术，网状内皮系统组件的成像， 用靶向试剂治疗癌症病变，并用于基因表达成像等 感受器。

A newly discovered class of nanoscale materials, the metal-carbon nanoencapsulates, has considerable potential to improve on current molecular-based MRI contrast enhancing agents. Metal-carbon nanoencapsulates are 2 nm diameter and larger particles in which graphitic carbon layers encase single crystals of metals or metal carbides. Their continuous graphitic carbon shells are several layers thick and highly stable. This shell protects the metal nanocrystal from oxygen and water, prevents the metal from leaving the encapsulate, allows magnetic interactions between the metal and exterior molecules, and provides a scaffolding for chemical derivitization. These physical characteristics impart significant advantages to metal-carbon nanoencapsulates and will result in a safer, more effective class of novel MRI contrast enhancing agents based on metal-carbon nanoencapsulates. The nanoencapsulates will be aminated, allowing for solubilization and coupling reactions on the surface of the nanoencapsulate. The relaxivity characterisitics of gadolinium containing solubilized nanoencapsulates with be evaluated, and the covalent conjugation of proteins will be tested. Potential applications for these nanoencapsulate contrast agents include imaging of the blood pool, RES, cancerous lesions, and targeted imaging of receptors and gene expression. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: The development of a new class of potent MRI contrast enhancing agents based on magnetic metal-carbon nanoencapsulates with higher stabilities, higher relaxivities, lower required in vivo concentrations and novel utility in target-specific imaging applications will have substantial commercial impact. Once fully developed, these safer and more powerful contrast enhancing agents will be in demand for clinical use in MRI laboratories and hospitals around the country in applications like MR angiography, imaging of reticuloendothelial system components, imaging of cancerous lesions with targeted agents, and for imaging gene expression and other receptors.